IT Networking Team Lead

Position: IT Networking Team Lead - up to £65k
Location: Stoke-On-Trent

Network Engineering Lead| Hybrid | Staffordshire, UK | Up to £65,000 A large, multi-site UK organisation is hiring a Network Engineering Lead to take ownership of its network estate and lead a small, established operations team. This is a hands-on leadership role with real scope. You will be responsible for the delivery, performance and evolution of a complex, distributed network environment spanning hundreds of sites, with a strong focus on Cisco Meraki and hybrid cloud connectivity.

The environment is going through continued investment across network modernisation, security and automation, so there is plenty of opportunity to shape direction and make a visible impact. What you will be doing
* Leading and developing a Network Operations team, setting direction and driving performance
* Owning a large-scale Cisco Meraki estate including MX, MS and MR across a multi-site environment
* Delivering network projects including upgrades, new site deployments and SD-WAN rollouts
* Managing hybrid connectivity across on-prem and Microsoft Azure environments
* Overseeing WAN, LAN, VPN, wireless and telephony infrastructure
* Driving automation across the network estate using Power Shell, Python or similar
* Working closely with security teams to ensure strong network security posture and compliance
* Managing third-party providers across connectivity and telecoms What they are looking for:
* Proven experience leading network teams in a multi-site enterprise environment
* Strong hands-on experience with Cisco Meraki at scale is essential
* Solid understanding of routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs and SD-WAN
* Experience working in hybrid cloud environments, ideally Azure
* Exposure to network automation and scripting
* Experience working with suppliers and managing external partners
* Confident communicator, able to engage both technical and non-technical stakeholders Desirable:
* Cisco, Meraki or Azure certifications
* Experience with Fortinet or similar firewall technologies
* Exposure to regulated or compliance-driven environments Why consider it:
* Large-scale, complex environment where your decisions matter
* Ongoing investment in infrastructure, security and cloud
* Clear ownership of the network domain
* Strong balance of leadership and hands-on technical work
* Hybrid working model with a collaborative team culture